Before the countdown to the New Year begins, several local businesses count on one last rush of 2014. Grocery and liquor stores count New Year’s Eve as one of the busiest days of the year and holiday season.

With only a pair of days still left until Christmas, analysts are already predicting a milestone shopping season for retailers. This past weekend alone added up to the biggest two-day sales period ever, totaling $42 billon. Of course many shoppers aren’t finished yet.

Over the next week, family and the holiday spirit will be top of mind, but some families will spend Christmas thousands of miles away from their loved ones. Military deployment can be difficult on the families left behind.

If you haven’t made it down to this year’s Holidazzle Village in downtown Minneapolis, this weekend marks your last chance. The village runs along Nicollet Mall between 10th and 12th Streets, centered around Peavey Plaza. It opened this year as a replacement for the Holidazzle parade.

One of my favorite places to visit at the holidays is the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The McGuinn Great Hall in the Oswald Visitor Center is the home of several beautifully decorated Christmas trees, often including items found on the Arboretum grounds.

What kind of Christmas tree do you like? Real? Fake? Or are you just someone who likes to wait until the last minute to decorate for the holidays? The Famers Market Annex in Minneapolis sells thousands of trees every December. Owner Scott Barriball says he sees customers’ interests change every year as they search for that perfect living room centerpiece.

Whether you procrastinated gift shopping or have simply exhausted your list of gift ideas, here are some of the best subscription-based services to give as gifts to friends, family and loved ones this holiday season.

It’s one of the biggest houses on Summit Avenue in St. Paul — and it’s the place Minnesota’s governor calls home. A few times each year, the doors of the Governor’s Residence are opened to the public for tours. It’s also an interior designer’s dream assignment. Six local designers each had a chance to decorate a room inside the house for the holidays.

Peppermint and holiday celebrations go together hand in hand. Beautifully decorative with the delicious, sweet taste of peppermint enhances everything from luscious desserts to warm and soul-satisfying beverages.

Holiday decorations are everywhere. But if you’re struggling to get your house holiday ready, we have a few tips on how to give your wreath extra flair, or just start with the basics. If you’re anything like WCCO’s Kylie Bearse, you aren’t exactly the crafty type.

This weekend, St. Paul’s historic Grand Avenue hosts its annual “Grand Meander.” You can eat breakfast with Santa Claus, take a trolley ride and much more. Kylie Bearse stopped over there on Friday morning to get a preview of the event.

The month of December is an exceptionally busy one for this festival-fond state. To try and get as much coverage as possible without creating a blog post that’s a mile long, I’m going to report weekly this month. Today’s installment will include events through Sunday, Dec. 7.